Invented by naval engineer Richard James in 1943 and launched on the market in 1945, the Slinky® is one of those toys that has gone beyond fashion and has proven its resistance.
At the time of the invention, James worked for the Cramp Shipyard in Philadelphia. Looking for a spring that would help stabilize the ship’s instruments, he tested many models that differed in size, components and voltage. The failures were stacked on a desk, and when one fell, James first observed the distinctive end-over-end motion that allowed Slinkys® to descend the stairs. James’ wife, Betty, agreed it had potential, and she was the one who came up with the name Slinky®.
Slinkys® were first sold in Philadelphia at Gimbel’s department store in 1945. By the turn of the 20th century, over 300,000,000 Slinkys® had been sold worldwide. The Jameses got 400 toys, each of 63 feet (19.2 m) of bent wire in 98 stacked spools. And they had sold them all in an hour and a half.
James designed and built the machines to make the Slinky®, initially manufactured by James Industries and now sold by Slinky Brand Toys. In addition to the initial Slinky® product, which is still being sold, the company sells plastic Slinky® wind-up toys, Slinkys® Junior toys, foam Poof® toys, and Slinky® offshoots, such as a dog bank, jump ropes, pom-poms, sticks, pinwheels and Slinky® eyeglasses.
The Slinky Dog was a 1995 movie Toy Story star, and Slinkys® also appeared in Ace Ventura – When Nature Calls and Hairspray. In 1999, the United States Postal Service introduced a Slinky® stamp. And in 2001, the Slinky® was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame and became the official state toy of Pennsylvania. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named Slinky® one of its 100 Most Valuable Toys of the 20th Century.
Numerous alternative uses have been found for Slinky®. Welcomed in physics lessons to demonstrate wave properties and other principles, other reported uses to include lighting fixtures, gutter protectors, coordination training, and as radio antennas.
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